I’m a sucker for a good palette. Usually I want eye shadow only palettes. Shadows that work together easily in a preset trio or quad, neutrals that are all interchangeable, I want them!
However, recently I heard about this new all encompassing palette from Charlotte Tilbury, and I knew that I had to have it. The Instant Look Palette Natural Beauty has 3 shadows that work together for a pretty, glowy look, a bronzer, 2 blushes and a highlighter. It’s everything you need a neutral look in 1 palette, it all works together and is perfect for throwing in to your gym bag, taking with you when you’re traveling or to just grab on a day that you’re in a rush.
You can see that the colors in the palette are overall pretty neutral and will work for a wide range of skin tones, though I think it is definitely more flattering for those of us who are pretty pale. The bronzer for example, is the perfect shade for me, which is unusual as I typically have to buy the “light” bronzer, otherwise it looks like dirt on my face.
1. Eye Brighten: This is a light pink color that could be worn all over, though it is pretty much the same color as my skin so I just use it on my entire lid, lash line to brows, as a base color over my primer.
2. Eye Enhance: A pretty shimmery taupe, this is my favorite of the shadows. I typically apply this over my entire lid, up to the crease. The shimmer can be a bit much, so I use a larger fluff brush for a lighter application and it is just the right amount of color with some pretty shimmer.
3. Eye Smoke: This is a matte, medium brown. I’ve been using it in my crease with #2, but would also work on it’s own for a pretty, smoky eye.
4. Face Bronzer: This is described as an “all skin tone bronze color”, the formula is their cult favorite Filmstar Bronze & Glow. It’s a great bronzer color for my pale skin, and has a little bit of shimmer and is just golden enough for when I want to look sunkissed. It is not a bronzer that I think should be used for contouring, it’s just too golden for that.
5. Cheek Swish and 6. Cheek Pop: There are 2 blushes in the palette, and they’re pretty on their own but really meant to be used together. They recommend using #5 along the cheekbone, back to the hairline, and then a small amount of #6 as a “pop” of color right on the apple of the cheek. I’ve been using them this way, and it really is very pretty! My only issue with these blushes is that they are a bit small, so it’s hard to get just that color on to your brush, and once you do manage to do that they’re pretty powdery, so the color goes all over the compact. They’re the only products in the compact that are powdery, but I have found that they make a bit of a mess, so I blow off the powder before and after each use.
7. Face Highlighter: Charlotte Tilbury has really been known for having an amazing contour and highlighting set, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is an amazing highlighter! The color is described as candlelight, and it really is just the right amount of shimmer, a pretty silvery-gold color that will work for pretty much every skin tone.
Here’s my look using the entire palette! It’s a great easy, pretty and neutral look that works pretty much for anything I’m doing. I could wear this to work, hanging out at home or when out running errands pretty easily. The colors are definitely flattering for my skin tone, and the Charlotte Tilbury has tutorial videos on their YouTube site that feature models of different skin tones. One of them is blonde and very fair like me, the other was Indian and she looked stunning. However, I do know that there are some bloggers who have said the colors are just too similar to their coloring so the palette didn’t work for them.
I do really like this palette and have kept in on my vanity, I especially use the highlighter in it rather frequently. And I love the 2 blushes together, despite the powdery issue. The colors are very pretty and glowy I think.
I think this would be great if they came out with a few additional shades for more skin tones. Stila has come out with a very similar palette, that one has different shades. I haven’t seen it in person yet, but hope to buy it sometime soon!
This palette is available at the Charlotte Tilbury Website
I Bought It, Affiliate Links
I’m a doctor, a mommy and a bit of a beauty addict. If you let me, I can take 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Really. I'm on a quest for faster beauty that works!
